At the present time the country is confronted with an energy shortage and considerable effort by inventors, engineers, and research workers is being directed to the conversion of solar energy into mechanical power. Heat engines which include air as a fluid medium to cause reciprocation of a piston have long been known. However, while it is suggested that the heat for such engines may be supplied by the sun, the known devices of this character are highly inefficient. The causes of such inefficiency are varied. However, one of them is believed to reside in the fact that the action of the valve which controls an opening between the heat chamber and a piston receiving cylinder, which is typical of most heat engines, is slow and ineffective. If the piston is to reciprocate with a fair degree of repetitity this valve must be opened and closed at a similar rate.
In the known engines now available, no provision is made for absorbing the impact of a piston engaging the valve at the completion of a stroke to open it or the engagement of a member with the valve to move it to closed position.
Heat engines now available to the public are notably lacking in a construction which particularly adapts them to be heated by solar rays and in the provision of a governor controlled throttle.